Pothinus

Pothinus (died 48 BC) was an Egyptian eunuch and the regent for Ptolemy XIII at the time of the Alexandrine Civil War. He was executed on the orders of Julius Caesar for inciting the civil war and for plotting to have Cleopatra murdered.

Biography
Pothinus was appointed regent for the underage Ptolemy XIII in 51 BC as a part of Ptolemy XII's will, and he shared power with Achillas and Theodotus of Chios. He used his influence to turn Ptolemy against his sister and co-ruler, Cleopatra, and Pothinus planned to act as the power behind the throne once Cleopatra had been overthrown. The Alexandrine Civil War broke out, and the Roman leader Julius Caesar arrived in Egypt to ensure that Ptolemy XII's will was carried out; Rome had been tasked with carrying out the will by the late Pharaoh. Pothinus had Pompey the Great murdered and decapitated, hoping to present his head to Caesar as a gift, but Caesar was disgusted by the murder of his rival and former son-in-law and wept. He came to deeply distrust Pothinus, refusing Pothinus' offer to give him a tour around the royal palace in Alexandria. Pothinus' mistake led to Cleopatra gaining Caesar's support during the civil war, and the two became lovers. Pothinus had Achillas besiege Alexandria to overthrow Cleopatra, but Caesar defeated the siege; Cleopatra also survived an assassination attempt by her servant Lotus, who had been ordered by Pothinus to poison the queen. The next day, Caesar held a meeting with Ptolemy and his advisers, and he had his escorts record the following as the judgment of the Roman people: Pothinus was to be sentenced to death for inciting the civil war and for attempting to kill Cleopatra. Pothinus was taken outside and executed by two Roman guards, and Ptolemy and Cleopatra were forced to marry, despite being siblings.